Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Problem with Missing Context Menu Option.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 5, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Rita has encountered a situation at her workplace that has her scratching her head. They have an employee who can right-click on any cell and the Format Cells option is not available on the resulting Context menu. Rita is wondering what is necessary to get the Context menu option back.
It is possible that the Context menu that is displayed when you right-click on a cell has, over time, become modified in some way. You can reset this particular Context menu by using a very simple macro:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Sub ResetContextMenu()
CommandBars("Cell").Reset
End Sub
If this does not do the trick, or if the menu inexplicably changes at some future point, the culprit could very well be some sort of add-in or a particular macro in a workbook. Determining which of the macros is doing the modification can take some serious detective work. If you can access the macros in the add-in or workbook, you might want to just search through the VBA code to see if you can find the text "CommandBars" to see what is being changed.
If you cannot access the macro code (perhaps the add-in or workbook is protected), then you will need to go through a trial-and-error process where you stop the loading of the add-ins, one by one, until you determine which one causes a change in the Context menu.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11786) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Problem with Missing Context Menu Option.
Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!
Paste some information into a worksheet and Excel helpfully displays some options related to the paste operation. If you ...
Discover MoreA little green triangle in the corner of a cell means that Excel thinks there is an error with the cell contents. If ...
Discover MoreExcel lets you change lots of settings that affect the configuration of your system. At some point you may want to save ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments